dining room tour, january blessings, and cha

Jan 23, 2009 | Home + Studio Tours

i can’t help myself with all of these room tours. i seriously hope you aren’t sick of me. once, when i was fresh out of college, i sent my bff a letter. i included a couple of photos of my new apartment – i thought she might like to see my surroundings as it was the first time we’d ever been separated in different cities. i thought i was being clever and she lovingly thought i was a total dork. i keep thinking about that as i post these images every week of our new digs. it sort of cracks me up but i like it anyway. so, here we go. this week it’s our dining room…

lucky for us, this room was already painted this soothing color when we moved in. and we were also super lucky to score this table (loving the bench on one side) from my sister-in-law who needed to store it in our house. the windows on the right bring in a lot of natural light which is so nice here in seattle (speaking of windows, this is how they’re tied. cute, no?). the heart on the wall was made by anthony hansen from old recycled metal. i love everything he creates. the little birdie sculpture underneath it was made by friend stephanie lee (another artist who creates magic with her hands). these are two of my favorite artsy pieces in the house. oh how i adore them!

i love how the items in our homes have stories. this weathered piece was the first piece of furniture i bought in portland when we moved there in 1999. and the window box, which holds our paperweight collection, was constructed by a carpenter who sold his unique pieces each week at portland’s saturday market (i can’t remember his name) – a really fantastic market with artists galore. the frames, made by reclaimed wood, were bought at the home rebuilding center in portland many years ago. they hold some of our most treasured photos. so, i suppose this little corner is all about portland, each piece being born there with fond memories attached.

this is a view/peek into the living room. the yucca tree on the left has traveled with us everywhere we’ve ever gone in the last ten years. it belonged to john well before he met me and he insisted that it make the move with us from florida to oregon in a tiny honda civic hatchback – that was the summer of 1999. we traveled and camped our way across the country for weeks and weeks. just the two of us and the yucca. it reminds me of the plant in that movie the professional – the one where the hitman takes his beloved plant with him everywhere he goes. if you’ve seen that movie, then you know what i’m talking about. we love our yucca. it’s been with us through so much.

i haven’t found any good junk stores in seattle yet, but i did fall in love with this repurposed wooden column thingy that is now used as a giant candle stick – found at a local antique store called antika. oh how i loved this the moment i saw it. john has a strict rule which is this: only buy the things you are deeply in love with. period. and this certainly fell into that category. the trays in the background are vintage metal tv trays. so cool, adore those things.

you can’t really tell in the images above, but these vintage ornaments atop glass candle sticks (an idea i had after seeing these at my mom’s house) sit in the window sill. loving how they look in the light, the color brightening up the room.

and finally, our collection of rusty tin that sits on top of our pie safe. the rocking doggie is one of my most favorite pieces in the whole house 🙂

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(i sat on this bench the other day for hours while on the phone with a friend. felt so good!)
in other news, i’ve been really enjoying the month off. did i mention that i gave myself january off (still taking etsy orders, by the way, but no shipping until february)?  it was a smart decision, something i think i’ll do each and every january from now on if i can swing it. seems like a good month to regroup after inevitably super busy autumns.  john starts his new CRNA job in a couple of weeks and we’ve so enjoyed having some play time before he heads back to a working schedule. i’ve also been on the phone, catching up with family + friends, packaging gifts, writing letters, planning adventures, reading magazines (so fun to see a full page advertisement for taking flight on the inside cover of this month’s somerset studios – did anyone see that?), a lot of walks and exploring. feels so good to replenish, to get ready for the year. all the moving and rearranging of furniture/collections has been soothing to my creativity, giving it a different focus for bit which has been good, too – a bit of renewal all around.
i’m heading to CHA for the weekend where i’ll be teaching, demo-ing, and signing books. i’ve heard so much about this event, that i can’t wait to see it for myself. my goals? to meet donna downey and tim holtz (huge fans of these two) and to explore some new possibilities/direction for myself. i have a feeling i’ll return home overwhelmed with inspiration. i’ll be home early next week with photos and stories….see you guys on the flipside 🙂
ps-feel free to post photos of your digs and share it in the comments. wouldn’t it be fun to see one another’s spaces? i love this sort of stuff.
pps- there are exactly two spots left for the Art Nest – the sweet wintery creative retreat in utah where i’m teaching next month (alongside mati and jane wynn). this is your chance! follow your spontaneous creative dreams and come join us for what i KNOW is going to be a deeply meaningful and fun time in a dreamy cabin in utah. seriously, i think you should come 🙂

Sending much love,

Show/Hide Comments (58 comments)
58 Comments
  1. andrea

    oh miss kelly rae. so much color and light in your home. in love with the portland corner. in love with the wood type that spells out lovely. so many yummy details. how is it that you’ve just moved in? dying to see your place. dying. I’ll be there soon. xo

    Reply
  2. Christina

    This is just lovely, honey. All the colors flow wonderfully. : )

    Reply
  3. Free Spirit

    I love your place is so beautiful and very inspiring!! Thanks for sharing it!

    Reply
  4. Katrina

    i love seeing photos of your new place. (is that bella hiding under the table in the first image? so cute!) your place looks adorable and you seem happy as a bee.

    Reply
  5. Steph

    Very beautiful! And I love the skirt, too.

    Reply
  6. Jeb

    I like your style!

    Reply

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Hello + welcome!

I’m Kelly Rae Roberts

Before I picked up my first paintbrush at the age of 30, I was a medical social worker. I followed my creative whispers, and today I’m an artist & Possibilitarian. I’m passionate about creating meaningful art and experiences that awaken and inspire our spirits.

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